The Spanish forward netted his first goal of the season on Saturday and the former Napoli coach wants the forward to build on the performance

Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez has taken the time to praise Jese Rodriguez in the wake of a 3-0 win over Levante on Saturday and has urged the 22-year-old to make the most of his chances.

Jese featured from the start in Madrid’s Liga opener against Sporting Gijon, but then remained on the bench in their next three games as Benitez was allegedly unhappy with his training attitude.

The attacker got 20 minutes of playing time in the match at home to Levante and capped a fine outing with his first goal of the season.

“Jese was much closer to what we all expect of him,” Benitez told the official Madrid website.

“He’s a player with quality and talent and he has to make the most of his chances. That’s the way it is at Real Madrid; the demands are really high and all his team-mates are very good.

“He has to work the way he did against Levante, penetrating defences, and do that continually. It’s very positive for me and for every Real Madrid fan. He has to keep that up because there is a lot of competition.

“There were several positives: seven academy products on the bench and the odd one on the pitch, the entrances of Lucas [Vazquez] and Jese that injected energy, speed and penetration, and Marcos Llorente’s debut. A lot of positive aspects in the assessment of the game and the team is up at the top of the table.”

Madrid are away to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.